v In response to lamentation of neglect
The Interim Management Committee (IMC) Chairman of Orlu LGA, Mrs Ifeoma Ndukwu yesterday donated empty 50 litre capacity bucket to Ojike Memorial Secondary School, Orlu, probably for hand washing for students who just returned after COVID-19 pandemic lock-down.
Our source who spoke to this reporter on condition of anonymity revealed that when the teachers of the school observed the arrival of the Interim Management committee chairman, they were excited with hope that at last, the government has remembered them, only for Mrs Ndukwu to order for presentation of an empty bucket which makes no meaning to them since the COVID-19 pandemic incidence has not been recorded in any Orlu community.
One of the students who spoke to this reporter hinted that because of the decaying infrastructure and leaking roofs, teachers now use umbrellas while in staff room. The students usually run to ground floor the moment it starts raining because the entire roofs upstairs are leaking.”We want government to save our school. We don’t need bucket, we need roof over our head and protection from hoodlums”, the students further lamented.
This is coming barely few days after the association of local government staff, Imo State Chapter had accused the government of pocketing over N4.2Billion that comes into Imo state as LGA allocation. Among other accusations include that governor Hope Uzodinma has never held any JAAC meeting with LGA stakeholders but prefers to give the local government chairmen paltry sums of money, at the end of every month.
It would be recalled that the Ojike Memorial Secondary School Old Boys Association led by Comr. Christian Ezikiel had raised alarm over the ceaseless attacks by hoodlums on students and properties of the school and poor infrastructure. Till date, the government rather than address the infrastructural decay, only sent the local government chairman to donate a bucket with her entourage.
At the time of going to press, it was not very clear why the LGA chairman Ndukwu donated the bucket which market value is less than N5,000, without attendant hand washing detergent, sanitizers and face masks assuming she is serious about preventing spread of Coronvirus among the students.
